Abstract This paper investigates the static analysis of doubly-curved laminated composite shells and panels. A theoretical formulation of 2D Higher-order Shear Deformation Theory (HSDT) is developed. The middle surface of shells and panels is described by means of the differential geometry tool. The adopted HSDT is based on a generalized nine-parameter kinematic hypothesis suitable to represent, in a unified form, most of the displacement fields already presented in literature. A three-dimensional stress recovery procedure based on the equilibrium equations will be shown. Strains and stresses are corrected after the recovery to satisfy the top and bottom boundary conditions of the laminated composite shell or panel. The numerical problems connected with the static analysis of doubly-curved shells and panels are solved using the Generalized Differential Quadrature (GDQ) technique. All displacements, strains and stresses are worked out and plotted through the thickness of the following six types of laminated shell structures: rectangular and annular plates, cylindrical and spherical panels as well as a catenoidal shell and an elliptic paraboloid. Several lamination schemes, loadings and boundary conditions are considered. The GDQ results are compared with those obtained in literature with semi-analytical methods and the ones computed by using the finite element method.